For the Sake of Arguments

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Why can't we celebrate being white?

4/3/2018

12 Comments

 
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​By David Barr
White people often get defensive in conversations about race because it can feel to us like being white is always a bad thing. We have to be apologetic: whiteness is something to be ashamed of, not to celebrate. This can seem unfair. Because of this, you often hear people say things like, “If black people can have their own parades/awards shows/advocacy groups/TV networks/whatever else, why can’t we?” 

​​The problem with this question, as with much problematic racial thinking, is that it looks at the different races as if they are neutral and natural categories instead of divisions invented for a purpose and which have significant histories. Our racial labels are not equivalent to each other precisely because they were created for that specific purpose (other countries with their own racist purposes, like South Africa, created  different categories).  ​Blackness was a legal and political category created to enslave and exclude. To celebrate blackness is thus to appropriate a label meant for harm and to make it into something good. It is to celebrate the way in which a people have taken their oppression and turned it into beautiful art, music, and literature. There is nothing about that effort that makes it racist or exclusionary.
 
Celebrating whiteness is different because its history is different.
 
There are dozens of books and articles about the origins and growth of the category ‘white’ in America.[1] I won’t bore you with the details here, but you should read at least a summary at some point. Here are some highlights:
during the colonial era, it was deemed necessary to define ‘white,’ ‘black,’ ‘mulatto,’ and so on, in order to designate who had rights and privileges and who did not. Within the larger category ‘white’, it remained common until the mid twentieth century to talk about categories like ‘Irish,’ ‘Saxon,’ ‘Italian,’ or ‘Jewish’ as separate races. Some of these races were considered more or less ‘white’ than the others and the less ‘white’ ones faced real racial prejudice (especially and most obviously Jewish people). However, by the middle of the twentieth century, racial lines had been redrawn around only a few major groups (‘black,’ ‘white, ’ ‘Asian,’ etc.).
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"An illustration from the H. Strickland Constable's Ireland from 'One or Two Neglected Points of View' shows an alleged similarity between "Irish Iberian" and "Negro" features in contrast to the higher "Anglo-Teutonic.""

Let's think for a moment about why people would want to move away from ‘Irish’ or ‘Italian’ as a racial identity and toward ‘white’: identifying as ‘Irish’ was a way of claiming a culture and heritage, but doing so potentially marked the person for forms of discrimination. When the same person identified as ‘white,’ he or she claimed no new specific culture or heritage, only protection from the discrimination faced by nonwhite peoples.

Thus, if you were Italian-American in 1920, with strong pride in that heritage, the reason to identify as ‘white’ was not because of your deep affection for a beloved white culture, with its cherished language, music, food, and traditions; your loyalties and affections in those areas were distinctively Italian. To become ‘white’ was not to join a positive and rich cultural tradition, but to stay safely above the race line.

We can still see the emptiness of the category ‘white’ today. It is not a treasured cultural identity with specific content. No one goes out for white food.[2] No one says they’re really getting into white music.[4]Nobody made a movie called “My Big, Fat, White Wedding.”[3]

To have German, Irish, or Italian pride is to celebrate histories and cultures replete with traditions we can all easily bring to mind. It is perfectly acceptable for white people to have Oktoberfests, St. Patrick’s Day parades, and Italian festivals. We can also celebrate Polish American Heritage Month (in October) or wear an “If You Ain’t Dutch, You Ain’t Much” shirt. We can celebrate Appalachian, Amish, or Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. There is nothing inherently racist about white people celebrating our cultures and histories. We, in fact, do it all the time without facing any criticism whatsoever.

So, why would someone want to celebrate, not this type of culture or heritage, but just ‘whiteness’? What would that honor? We all fit in a variety of different categories, so why pick ‘white’ as the one to identify with and cling to? Why not some other layer of identity? What is at stake?

We might very well wonder whether a fierce identification as ‘white’ might be tied to negative judgments about nonwhite people. We might wonder whether it is tied to resentment, hatred, and fear that the person’s status is threatened.

But, we don’t have to wonder, we just have to look at white pride groups: they’re hate groups. And it is not as if the Klansmen and skinheads ruined the term “white pride” for the rest of us by associating it with hate. It is not the case that "white pride" only accidentally got connected to hate: there is no positive reason to choose whiteness, rather than some other part of your history, as your source of identity and pride.

'Whiteness' is not considered a problem because society has decided white people are bad people. It is the fact that we have been grouped in the category ‘white’ for the purposes of racial superiority that is bad: bad for people of color, for America, and for our souls. [5] ‘Whiteness’ has been a conceptual tool used to oppress nonwhite people. It had no offsetting positive role in our history.[6] That we have light skin and European ancestry is not bad. That we have become ‘white’ has been disastrous. It is inseparable from the effort to name the status at the top of an unjust racial hierarchy. That is something we don't need to celebrate.

[1] Such as How the Irish Became White by Noel Ignatiev, How Jews Became White Folks and What that Says about Race in America by Karen Brodkin, The Wages of Whiteness: Race and the Making of the American Working Class by David R. Roediger
[2] Cracker Barrel notwithstanding
[3] Well…
[4] Okay, okay
[5] If you haven’t read Baldwin on this, do it.
[6] Even if very many if not most white people have played positive roles.
12 Comments
Nancy Lockhart
7/3/2020 12:35:41 am

Hello,

Wonderful essay. This helped me a lot. The problem is my skin IS white. And that has become a dirty word. All of the points you make about black skin are now reversed, and when people see me walk down the street (I live in a 99.9 percent hispanic neighborhood) I am seen as the "gringa" or "Whiite" Lady. So, the situation is becoming reversed, which is equally as awful. Second thing: Yes, Italians and Jews became "white" for all the reasons you mentioned, but their skin was never white, it was olive or darker than caucasians. I see you don't address the term caucasian, as in people whose ancesters were from the Caucasian Mountains and surrounding areas, i.e., early Celts, Irish, many Britons, etc. - Can we celebrate being "caucasian" in the sense of a common heritage that is place-based? For example, can place be the cultural link? Sometimes its language. In ancient Greece, you were not Greek by defintion because of your skin color or where you were born (place), you were Greek if you spoke the language. Its really not as simple as this. I once went to a women's yoga retreat and noticed the yoga center planned a "black sisters" yoga bonding weeking for black women. I was young then, and suggested we have a bonding weekend to celbrate "white women" and was nearly thrown out. In retrospect I see it was a dumb thing to say, but what I meant was, a weekend for Celtic women to celebrate Celtic traditions... Scotch Irish. In my family, you were "white" if you were Scottish or Irish. My family was definitlely racist. Italians were considered "ethnic" and "other" because they drank wine (we were old yankees from Boston) and pierced the ears of their little girls. Jews were friends of the family and the Hecks lived accross the street and were close friends, but they were definitely "other" as well. your thoughts are appreciated.

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Michael
6/1/2022 10:05:56 pm

It’s unfortunate that racism is being done by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) to fight racism. They are doing to Whites what they don’t want done to them. So unbranded so predictable. It’s easy to think that BIPOC won’t be happy until Whites are slaves.

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Jan link
8/19/2022 07:35:42 am

I agree. History is history, today is today. Continuing to allow events advertised as people of color etc., (black history month, black college fund, etc.) racism will never end. We need to join together and leave the ugly history behind us.

Emma
1/28/2023 07:11:10 am

There are some really great explanations of systemic racism on YouTube.

Mila J
3/5/2023 04:37:16 pm

Exactly. That’s not what you call equality. It’s racism against white people. We need to be able to stand up for ourselves and bend our knees to the ones who want us in chains!

Emma
1/28/2023 07:16:52 am

Hey Nancy,

I just commented, please let me know what you think! Apologies if it seems harsh, but keeping our white bodied cousins accountable is part of the work toward a better world! People have done this for me too, at the moment I’ve sometimes felt a little hurt, but as I digest and process, I end up grateful and growing. <3

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Grant
2/18/2023 05:30:18 pm

No white person alive today has ever owned a slave. White people shouldn’t be punished or held accountable for history, we had nothing to do with it. If this is the case, hold black people accountable for selling other black people as slaves.

Bonnie
2/2/2022 11:33:56 am

Really good points made in this article!
I was just thinking today about all the ‘White’ holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, Oktoberfest etc. that nobody would dream of outlawing because they make Black and Brown people feel bad.
Black people who come from the lineage of slavery can not celebrate a single Country of origin, or tribal culture. That was wiped out along with name, family and language.
With great courage and ingenuity these former slaves gathered as one to celebrate what was a curse to slave owners, but glorious as free people… ‘Black’!
Black History, a hard but beautiful story in this land.
My children have a slave story and a white story.
I’m proud of their white story too.
Their several times great grandfather (no slaves) left with his brother to fight with the North in the Civil War. His brother was killed and he was wounded.
When he was well enough, as a Lieutenant he trained led Colored Troops into battle.
After the war he was a farmer and preacher until war injuries caught up with him.
I think the current push to remove history removes all those Union Soldiers who died fighting against the evils of slavery. The Underground Railroad, abolitionist leaders and more.
I once had a cross burned on our lawn in the suburbs.
I fear more now than I did in the 1960’s!

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Matrix link
2/16/2022 11:40:19 am

that's why I don't live in the suburbs, that and I'm scared of people

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Dianne Lareau
9/3/2022 08:39:35 pm

I appreciate many statements made above. I think the true test of a Black American celebration is, do they welcome people of all skin Icolors and cultural backgrounds to come and celebrate with them or do they exclude others. I have seen people of various cultures celebrate St. Patty's, Cinco de Mayo and October fest. That's when you know that a culture has assimilated. We can all drink beer, eat food, dance and relax. They say everyone is Irish on St,Patty's day. Perhaps one day everyone will be black on Martin Luther King Day or Juneteeth, But that's not the sense I'm getting.

I realize that individual tribal cultural identities were robbed from the ancestors of these people but they have participated and shared in the American experience for centuries and should be treated with the respect of any person. Many policies have been enacted over many decades because most "white" people agreed that slavery and racism is wrong, Those millions of people (including over 300,000 Union soldiers dying in the Civil War) get no credit for changing what was status quo for centuries before. If it had been left to 'black" people alone to change those practices none of this progress would have happened, not because of their lack of will but because of their small numbers.

When human beings work together beautiful things happen. There is a push on the part of some to prevent that from happening. These people aren't content to assimilate and live in peace. They want to keep hate alive and continue to separate us.

Did those ladies at the yoga studio who had the 'black ladies day' allow white women or men to join them. Does a "black cultural festival" welcome all people? If so then it's an opportunity to share cultures. If not then it is racist. Racism is an exclusionary act that disenfranchises people and prevents them from participating in opportunities that advance their personal agendas. For example the NAACP ousted a young woman who "identified as black" from the organization because she was in fact white. They excluded that person. If a group provides scholarships to people of one race and not another they are behaving in a racist manner. This is done all of the time by various groups and it essentially promotes divisiveness.

I grew up in the 70s and 80s. I was taught to believe in love and human kindness and that we are all one race, the human race. Lets move forward not backward.

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Emma
1/28/2023 07:09:18 am

This idea of racism being a thing in the past, rather than a entrenched tool of oppression and sickness that’s infected the fabric of our society on so many levels- trying to pretend we’ve moved past it- is harmful. Reverse racism isn’t a thing. In my circles there are Black spaces (dinners, events, etc) where white bodied people aren’t allowed AND THAT’S OK. We white bodied people are pretty clueless about the heavy weight of moving through a racist world actually feels like to carry, and can so easily unintentionally cause harm with our ignorance. I love feeling included, but/and I also love my friends taking space to feel really safe and supported, it’s not personal. There are plenty of times where we are all together. White bodied people, we need to get over this idea that we deserve to be welcome in every space, I know it’s what you’re used to, but that’s not reality for anyone, society has just made you feel that way due to white dominance and the very problem of racism we are trying to heal. Thanks for reading!

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Mila J
3/5/2023 04:35:34 pm

I’m white and I’m not f..g ashamed of this! I’m proud of this and I celebrate it every month. There’s nothing wrong or bad in being white! It’s the stupid media that created this narrative to divide people and guess what it’s working! Kudos to them. I will never apologize to other nationalities because I did nothing wrong! So good luck spreading the poison to the dummies who want to kiss someone’s feet. Im white and I’m proud to celebrate white month history!

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